Legend of Zelda, The Red Thief REVISED
by The River Dragon
Summary: Set during OoT, what if the Triforce didn't exist? Ganon was never born, and Link was raised as a thief? Read and you'll find out ZelLinMal
1. Chapter 1

The River Dragon: IS BACK!! After quite some time the River Dragon has returned to finish her fanfiction, made in 2006! Hopefully my old readers will remember to stop by to see the end of it! Enjoy my old-new fic!

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Legend of Zelda - The Red Thief

REVISED!!

Chapter 1

Zelda laughed with Malon in the Lon Lon Ranch, a bunch of chickens had accidentally made their way into the horse ranch and were squawking loudly as hooves trampled the ground around them, feathers flying.

Finally Ingo ran out of the stables and picked the chickens up and carried them out of the ranch. But their fun hadn't ended just yet, just as Ingo was putting the chickens back in their area, he yelped as one of the chickens bit down on his arm.

"Serves him right, taking my fathers' ranch." Malon smiled.

The sun was setting on the horizon and Zelda let out a sigh. "It's getting late now, I have to go soon." She said. Malon sighed as well. They watched Ingo bring all the horses in until the very last colt entered the stables. Zelda was about to get up when they heard the sound of hoof beats drawing near.

They turned to the entrance gate to see a rider talking to Malons' father. They could hear her father laughing as the rider handed him a few rupees. The two couldn't see the face of the rider for he stood in the shadow of the house the whole time, and his voice was so low that it was hardly audible. One thing was for sure, the rider was a boy.

The rider then shook Malons' fathers' hand and walked with him to the ranch. As they drew closer, the two girls could hear the rider better.

"I'm sorry, I can come back later. I just want to test out Eponas' speed. There's no need for you to stay up and watch. You must have a lot to do during the day." Said the rider.

"Oh very well then. Let me just fetch my daughter and her friend and I'll get out of your hair." Malons' father chuckled. "Thank you." The rider added.

The two girls rose and walked out of the ranch, meeting up with Malons' father and the rider just as they came to the gate.

"Oh, Zelda, I have called for a guard to come and fetch you. Come now, let's be off." He said to Zelda, motioning her to lead. Zelda looked up at the rider on his horse, in the shadow of his long red hat; she could see two deep blue eyes. The moon appeared over the large wooden fence that surrounded Lon Lon Ranch to reveal the rider.

He wore a red tunic with a red mirrored shield on his back which held a long bladed sword. He looked like a knight from the Gerudo's fortress, but everyone knew that the Gerudos' were all females and they didn't have knights. The rider looked down at Zelda; his eyes seemed distant and cold. Almost as if he had never smiled a day in his life.

Malons' father led her out, making the rider turn away. He nudged his horse and it walked into the ranch, Zelda watched the rider and his horse jumping over the fences with ease as she walked out, her eyes wide.

The next morning, Zelda rode into Lon Lon Ranch on her white horse. As usual Malon was waiting for her in the field. Once Zelda dismounted she sat by her friend, ready to ask questions. Malon knew this was coming and waited for the princess to start.

"Who was that guy and what was he doing here so late?" She asked.

"His name is Link, he's Nabooru's son. He usually comes here at night but not that late, not like last night, usually around nine or ten. I wonder why he was so late." She added as an afterthought. "Anyway, he comes here to train his mare, Epona, since he's always on the road he needs to keep her active. Or so he says." Malon finished.

"Nabooru's son? Then that would make him-" Zelda began.

"-The prince of Gerudo's" Malon added. "Wow, you should invite him to go riding with us!" Zelda said, smiling.

"Are you interested in him already?" Malon laughed, seeing her friends' face go red at the comment but a sigh escaped as she caved. "Well I can't really do that. You see, he lives in Gerudo's fortress. Do you know how hard it is for anyone to get in there? Plus, he only seems to come out during the night." Malon added, continuing. "He isn't royalty like you. He's not, er, proper I guess." She finished.

"What? What do you mean he isn't proper?" Zelda asked.

"He's a thief." Malon blurted out. Zelda laughed.

"Now now Malon, stop playing games." She giggled.

"Uh right, well he comes again tonight; maybe I can ask him if he wants to hang out tomorrow. He might be busy." Malon struggled. 'How the hell am I gonna do this!' she yelled at herself.

"Okay, I'll meet you here tomorrow night." Zelda smiled.

Malon paced back and forth at the gate, waiting for the rider named Link and trying to think up a way to ask him to join her and Zelda tomorrow night. Before she could even finish her thoughts, he rode into the ranch upon his mare.

As he slowed, she skipped up to him and smiled. "Hi." She greeted.

Link looked down at her bewildered. "Hey." He mumbled, rummaging around in his pocket. "Ah, here we are. Can you give this to your father? Its payment." He handed her two blue rupees. "Yeah, but I have to ask you something first." Malon replied. Link raised his eyebrows. "Ask away." He answered.

"Do you remember my friend from the other day?" she asked.

Link nodded. "The blonde one that kept staring at me?" He smiled.

"Uh yes. Well I was wondering, well we both were wondering if you would like to hang out tomorrow night?" Malon asked. Link seemed to think about it for a few seconds before nodding.

"I guess so. But not during the night. I'm busy." He added more to himself then to her.

"So then you'll come during the day?" Malon couldn't help but let a disbelieving note fall from her tongue.

Link laughed. "Yes, it's not as if I only exist during the night." Malon flushed with embarrassment.

"So what do you do during the day anyway?" She asked. Link started to walk Epona towards the ranch, making sure to go slow enough so that Malon could follow easily. "I'm usually asleep. In Gerudo's fortress daytime is much warmer than anywhere else. And I can't just go around in the middle of the day practicing my skills." Link grinned. "I'd lose my image." He added. Malon shook her head with a sigh.

"So I'll be here at sunrise." He said, trotting Epona to the field. Malon smiled. "Yeah!" She called, turning into the house.

Link smiled to himself, patting Epona's neck. "So the princess wants to meet a thief like me? Hm. I wonder how she'll react when she finds out. Should be funny hey Epona?" He asked the mare. Epona snorted. "Yeah, maybe I shouldn't say anything. But Malon might. Oh well, I just hope that she doesn't send the guards on me. I'm not in the mood to be playing with those idiots." Link laughed.

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The River Dragon: Hello everyone, this was and still is my first fanfiction ever! I was playing OoT the other day and I started to think about this fanfiction longingly. I knew I had to finish it for the sake of those who were –and I hope are still- loyal to it. Once again, this story is a tamer version of OoT, Gannon doesnt exist and Link -our favourite character- is a trained thief. I thought this would be a wicked twist from the 'Link the hero' to 'The Link who is both good and bad'. Enjoy the updated and COMPLETED version of Legend of Zelda, The Red Thief!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Malon and Zelda sat in the ranch in the shade of the house awaiting the rider named Link. "The sun isn't even up yet Zelda; I dunno why you came so early." Malon commented to her friend. "Cause my dad would have stopped me; he thinks I spend too much time playing for a girl my age. He thinks that I should be reading and meeting other royal families, he says it's more fun." Zelda explained.

"I think that's the most boring thing I've heard in my life." Came a male voice from behind the two. They looked around to see Link on Epona with blue Zora clothing on rather than his red clothing. As Zelda looked over him she began to flush.

"You shouldn't do that, eavesdropping is rude." Malon frowned. Link smiled at her. "It may be rude but you find out a lot about what people don't want you to hear."

Malon snorted. "Oh, Farore." Link then spotted Zelda behind Malon. "You are so rude." Malon added.

"Oh I'm not always rude, but right now I am, because somebody made me stay awake for twenty-four hours." Link dismounted Epona and bowed to Zelda.

"Anyway, Link this is Zelda, Zelda this is Link." Malon introduced with a small glare at Link for his last comment.

"Pleased to meet you." Link smiled.

"Uh yeah, hi." Zelda flushed.

"So, where are we off to?" Malon asked.

"Lake Hylia?" Link suggested. The two girls nodded and went to get horses.

"Chill Zelda, he's teasing you." Malon whispered to Zelda who merely nodded with her flush still apparent.

Zelda brought out her white mare that she had appropriately named Snow, while Malon brought out a gray mare named Mist. Link rode up to them and smiled. "Are we ready now?" He asked. Malon nodded and mounted her mare along with Zelda. Malon's father waved them off from the house as the three walked their horses into the field.

"Where are we going again? Lake Hylia?" Malon asked Link. He nodded and nudged Epona into a full out run. "Race ya!" He yelled, kicking up dust behind him. Malon gasped and narrowed her eyes. Suddenly Snow raced past her, Zelda laughing the whole way. "Hurry Malon, or you'll get left behind!" She called to her friend.

Epona jumped over fences at high speeds, Link leaning low for more speed but every so often, looked back to make sure his new racing friends were still there. When he finally saw the large gates in front of the entrance of Lake Hylia, he urged Epona on and soon they were soaring over the tall gates.

He pulled Epona's reigns and slid off her back. He waited leaning against the stone wall for the two girls, yawning as he saw them. Zelda laughed to his delight, but as usual Malon frowned. "I don't know how you did that but open those gates!" She yelled.

"What you can't jump over?" Link laughed seeing Malons' frown grow. Then Zelda turned her mare around, making it reach the top of the hill until she turned it around. Link led Epona closer to him and out of the way. Zelda nudged the mare and it galloped down the small hill and leapt over the fences. She pulled its reigns and it stopped by Epona. Zelda smiled triumphantly at Malon and then turned to Link, her smile shrinking and a flush growing.

Zelda shook with both fear and excitement at what she just did, she was happy when the attention shifted to Malon for it gave her time to calm down.

Link began laughing, more at the look that Malon gave, then to what Zelda had done. He couldn't help but add a comment to the event. It became even more tempting as the princess next to him started to suppress a laugh.

"I can't believe she outdid you Malon, you've been around horses your whole life!" Link laughed, pushing the gates open. That did it, they were all laughing now.

The sun began to set on the horizon and the three of them groaned. They had gone swimming, rode a little, took the diving test, fought off some spiders and then played a game of horseback tag and now they were exhausted.

"You think we're tired, can you imagine how the horses are feeling?" Link commented, the three of them looking at the horses. The mares were in the shade of the large tree on the island, sound asleep.

"Don't tell me that we'll have to stay here the night." Malon sighed. Link shook his head. "No. I can get you guys home without the horses." He replied. Zelda looked at him questioningly. He smiled and pulled out an Ocarina.

He touched his lips to it and blew out a song, grabbing the girl's arms as they disappeared. The next second they were in Lon Lon Ranch. "Thanks." Malon replied, opening the door to her house. "I'll come back with the horses in a moment." Link added, playing another song and grabbing Zelda's arm as they disappeared again.

They reappeared inside the temple of time, right outside the Hyrule Palace.

"Come on." Link said, leading Zelda out of the temple and towards the palace. As they reached the path leading to the palace, Link stopped and bowed to Zelda. "How did you know that I lived here?" Zelda asked. "Have I met you before?" she added.

Link rose with a smile on his face. "Oh, you've never seen me before but I have seen you many times." He replied, playing a song on the Ocarina. "Princess Zelda." And he disappeared.

The River Dragon: Second chapter is revised and edited, special thanks to Nonnahs, Silverpistola and Ziffie-Link! I have not forgotten you! Lol.


	3. Chapter 3

The River Dragon: Wow, aren't I good? Getting all of these chapters up at once?! Yes, yes I am. Please comment!!

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Chapter 3

Rain poured down, darkening the sky. Zelda sat at her window sadly, she had been hoping to go to the Lon Lon Ranch today but she would never be allowed.

From her window she could see the ranch on the horizon, shrouded in shadows, she let her mind wander. "I wonder what he's doing right now." She mumbled to herself, picturing Link riding Epona through the rain towards the castle and appearing before her.

Suddenly a knock on the door broke her daydream. With a sigh she turned to see her father in the doorway. "Hello father." Zelda greeted him. "Hello Zelda." He approached her with a large smile. "I have wonderful news. Tomorrow morning we'll be heading out to the Gerudo Fortress to meet the Gerudo queen and her son. Isn't that wondrous?" Her father announced.

"You've never been there have you? Ah, remember to pack light clothing, it is very hot there." Zelda nodded. "And get to bed early because we'll be leaving as soon as the sun rises." He added; turning and leaving his daughter.

As Zelda looked back out her window, she let out a long sigh. She hated lying to her father, but really she hadn't lied. She had never been to Gerudo Fortress, but she had heard about it from Link. It seemed there was something in store for her in the future.

Link clashed swords with a warrior as five more surrounded him. They lowered their swords at him and he turned and swung his blade at each, knocking the swords from their hands. Just as he turned back to the Gerudo before him, a woman appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Lunch break!" She yelled, heading back inside.

Link put his sword away and walked in the opposite direction, to the left doorway where a more elegantly dressed Gerudo waited. In a quick bow, Link smiled. "Hello mother. What can I do for you?" He asked. She smiled in return.

"How is it that you always know what I'm about to say?" She asked Link.

"Well I can understand females more than the normal man can, I grew up around girls. It's natural I know what they're thinking." He rose. She nodded.

"Anyway, I'll get to the point then. The king of Hyrule wants to meet us for some strange reason. So he has chosen to come here. Only he doesn't know how to get here safely." She laughed. "So you would like me to go fetch them mother?" Link asked.

His mother nodded. "Please. Oh and get some sleep, unlike us they sleep during the night so you'll be leaving before sunrise. You can have the whole day off just so long as you keep up 

with your training." She grinned. Link nodded and headed up to the lunch room which was near his room.

'Hm. So we will meet again princess Zelda, but this time, not on normal terms.'

Link woke before sunrise, just as his mother had said and called Epona from her spot in the shade of a wall. As she came he jumped from his balcony and landed next to her. "Come on Epona, I know that it's daytime but we have to go get the King of Hyrule since he's such a pansy and can't make it here himself." Link laughed. Epona snorted.

He rode down the last hill and was at the gates to Hyrule palace. A soldier positioned at the door then walked over to him. "I'm the Gerudo escort." He announced. The soldier bowed to him and rose with an uncertain look on his face.

"Please take off your mask when you address the King." The guard told him, making Link frown slightly in annoyance. He had almost forgotten about the scarf he had wrapped around his face to prevent being burned by the Gerudo sun, and to protect his eyes from the light.

"How long will it take to reach Gerudo Fortress?" The guard asked while trying to ignore the scarf that remained on Link's face despite his warning.

"If we gallop then a few hours. If we walk, about two days." Link replied. "We will walk, the King is getting old and he tires easily." Link nodded. 'Yeah he's getting old. Pfft, mom's older then he and she can still kick my butt in a fight.' He said to himself, walking inside.

Zelda woke that morning by the help of a maid; she groggily dressed and wandered downstairs to where her horse was waiting for her along with her father and about twenty guards.

"When are we leaving?" She asked her father. He turned and smiled at her. "As soon as the escort from Gerudo Fortress arrives." Not a second later a rider walked out of the shadows and dismounted his amber coloured mare. The red tunic caught her attention, along with the red mirrored shield and long sword.

"Link?" She mumbled to herself.

She had to squint to see past the scarf around his face but for the briefest of seconds she caught a flash of blue.

"It is him!" She gasped.

Her father looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. "What was that Zelda? Did you ask me something?"

Zelda quickly shook her head. "I was just thinking out loud." She replied while trying to keep her voice calm. Her father shrugged and turned to Link.

As he approached with Epona, Link pulled the scarf from his face and it took everything Zelda had to keep from smiling stupidly. But there was something different about him this time, instead of his soft blue eyes warming her heart they were sharp and cold and unusually serious. When she dismounted and gave him a welcoming hand, he simply walked past, not even looking at her.

Link stopped in front of her father. "I am the son of Queen Nabooru, you are to follow me." He said, turning and mounting Epona while pulling his scarf back up.

"Sir, can he talk to you like that?" Asked one of her fathers' men. He nodded. "The Gerudo's are a race far away from us, they rule the desert, in a way, and they are just as much royalty as my daughter and I." The King replied.

'Link is royalty?' Zelda said to herself. 'So Malon wasn't joking.'

As they rode up the many hills to the south, Zelda noticed that Link hadn't once come and greeted her. He hadn't even looked at her. The King approached her and smiled.

"We'll be making camp here." Link had suddenly appeared beside the King. "It will be night soon." He finished, walking over to a small wall in the middle of the hill.

Zelda left the tents and her father and walked over to Link as he sat on the wall, watching the land.

"Hey, how come you never said you were the Gerudo Prince?" She asked. Link continued to watch the land, pulling out a bow and arrow and loosing it, killing a monster in the distance. A couple of soldiers walked by.

"Hey. Link?" Zelda walked in front of him and folded her arms. He turned his head away from her. "I don't know you so don't talk to me." He glared from behind the scarf, jumping from the wall and landing on Epona's back. She could feel her eyes begin to sting.

The next day, Zelda didn't try to talk to Link, but she found herself staring at him from the back. Once she saw him turn back and look at her but he quickly turned away. It felt like her heart was about to rip in two. He didn't know who she was, or maybe he didn't want to know her. He had made the fact that he didn't want to see her very clear last night.

They walked through a very narrow path and up a hill to a long bridge; they were in Gerudo Valley now. Link stopped at the entrance and spoke to two Gerudo's at the gate. They swung the doors open and they continued in.

When they dismounted, Gerudo's took their horses to a small holding area and Link led them inside the maze of the Gerudo Fortress. Soon enough Nabooru appeared in the main room and the King of Hyrule sat down.

"Why don't you take the princess for a little tour, it'll be boring sitting here and listening to us ramble on about the kingdoms." Nabooru said to Link. He nodded and took Zelda's hand in his own and bowed, kissing her hand through the scarf. He then led her out the nearest door. Unnoticed to him, Zelda's face turned red as he continued to hold her hand in his and lead her down the many halls.

He grabbed Epona and Zelda's horse. And as they galloped out, a hidden smile grew on Link's face.

The River Dragon: I bet you just can't wait until the next chapter...lol


	4. Chapter 4

The River Dragon: Please enjoy my next chapter, don't worry the romance is coming

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CHAPTER 4

Zelda looked at Link uncertainly, wondering just what he was doing. Then without warning, he stopped Epona. Zelda quickly stopped her mare as well, almost hitting Epona. She noticed just how well the scarf hid his face.

Suddenly he started laughing, quietly at first but then it grew. When he raised his head she noticed that his eyes were once again warm like when she first met him at the Lon Lon Ranch. And before she knew it, she was smiling.

"I'm sorry I had to say such mean things to you, it's just, here I'm expected to act very serious and what if your father found out that we knew each other? He'd surely tell my mother and we'd both be in trouble." Link explained, pulling down the scarf so that she could see half of his face. "I didn't know you were faking it, I thought-" Zelda looked down sadly.

"You thought I didn't want to be around you. Don't worry about it; I only act that way when I have to. I didn't mean anything by it." Link patted her shoulder. Zelda smiled, hiding a flush. "Now, let's forget about all that for now and let's go see Malon." Link suddenly saw a small amount of reluctance in her eyes, the kind he knew very well. "Or would you like to just hang out with me?" He added. "Sure." She mumbled, still smiling.

Link nudged Epona into a walk. "Well come on then." Zelda nudged her horse into a run, passing Link by.

"So I gather you don't mind being a friend to a thief?" Link asked, smiling slightly as he watched the clouds roll by on a small hill overlooking the gates to Lake Hylia. Zelda sat up and tilted her head to the side.

"What?" She asked. Link looked at her out of the corner of his eye, a long sigh escaping from his mouth.

"So then Malon didn't tell you?" He added partially to himself.

Zelda's eyes widened as she remembered the conversation she had had with Malon only a week or two ago.

"_Who was that guy and what was he doing here so late?" She asked. _

"_His name is Link, he's Nabooru's son. He usually comes here at night but not that late, not like last night, usually around nine or ten. I wonder why he was so late." She added as an afterthought. "Anyway, he comes here to train his mare, Epona, since he's always on the road he needs to keep her active. Or so he says." Malon finished._

"_Nabooru's son? Then that would make him-" Zelda began. _

"_-The prince of Gerudo's" Malon added. "Wow, you should invite him to go riding with us!" Zelda said, smiling. _

"_Are you interested in him already?" Malon laughed, seeing her friends' face go red at the comment but a sigh escaped as she caved. "Well I can't really do that. You see, he lives in Gerudo's fortress. Do you know how hard it is for anyone to get in there? Plus, he only seems to come out during the night." Malon added, continuing. "He isn't royalty like you. He's not, er, proper I guess." She finished._

"_What? What do you mean he isn't proper?" Zelda asked. _

"_He's a thief." Malon blurted out. Zelda laughed. _

"_Now now Malon, stop playing games." She giggled. _

She had brushed it all off as Malon teasing her, it had seemed way too farfetched to be real, a thief prince. She had never heard of such a thing.

"So you really are a thief?" She gasped and quickly stood up, a deep frown apparent on her face. "You stole from me! That's how you knew where I lived! That's how you knew who I was!" She yelled, pointing at him.

Link turned his head back to the sky. "Naw, I've never stole anything from you or anyone else in your castle. Just a few glances, I only ever went there to-" Link's eye grew widened immensely and he stopped speaking.

Zelda gawked at him. "What did you go there for?"

He sighed. 'I had hoped to dodge this question. Oh well. I guess she should know.' He said to himself, sitting up and standing in front of Zelda. "The only reason I ever went there was to see you. But I didn't watch you while you were changing or anything perverted. I came during the night, just to watch you. Even now I'm not quite sure why I did that." He looked at the ground, choosing his words carefully. "But it is rather fun to play with your guards!" Link laughed while sounding slightly embarrassed.

"Sorry." Zelda replied, trying not to chuckle or roll her eyes at him. Link looked up in disbelief. "I shouldn't have yelled. I really don't mind you being a thief, but you scared me with uh, you watching me." She mumbled. The smile returned on Link's face and he bowed his head.

"I won't do it again if you don't want me to." He said. Zelda hid a smile. "Why don't you visit me next time rather than sneak around?" She asked. Link gawked at her. "You will allow me to visit you?" He asked. Zelda snickered. "Yes." A small flush appearing on her face.

They walked over to their horses grazing at the top of the hill. "And what kind of bow was that before?" She added.

Link folded his arms over his chest. "You should be honoured by that. _No _Gerudo bows to _anyone,_ well, except other Gerudo's." He replied, chuckling quietly. Zelda shoved him lightly. "You Gerudo's and your pride." She sighed.

As they mounted their horses, a shadow appeared in the bushes with a spear in hand.

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The River Dragon: Here's another chapter done up happy and pretty. I added some stuff and took some stuff out... I realized now just how many spelling errors there were... but I think this was a nice bit of fluff, so I'll dodge those bullets with a smile on my face!!


	5. Chapter 5

The River Dragon: This will be my last uploaded chapter for tonite, I'll upload more tomorrow nite. Enjoy!!

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CHAPTER 5

Link stopped Epona and narrowed his eyes, his ears straining to catch a sound he had just heard. A normal person would not have noticed it, but after years of thieving, his senses were heightened and he heard the sound of a blade shifting on rocks ever so slightly.

He swiftly pulled out his bow and arrows and aimed behind them at a single bush where they had just been not five seconds ago.

"Come out or I'll shoot." He called. Zelda stopped her mare and looked puzzled at Link's actions. "What is it? Is someone there?" She asked. Link didn't reply, glaring at the spot that had caught his attention.

A man dressed in Royal Hyrule guard armor stepped out with a spear in hand. He pointed the spear at Link and frowned deeply. "It's a good thing that I came along; I thought his Majesty was joking when he asked me to watch over princess Zelda." Said the guard.

"My father sent you?" Zelda asked, anger rising in her voice. "Why?"

Link put his bow and arrow away and sighed. "Here it comes." He groaned.

The guard stepped forwards. "This is the thief who has been breaking into the castle every week. The one that mocks the guards into chasing him around." The guard spat.

Zelda looked at Link. "That's because you guys are all idiots which makes it so much fun to toy with you." He smiled. "You can't bust me though. I've never once stolen anything nor have I hurt anyone very seriously." Link explained.

"Oh really? Just last month there was a killing in this very field. A man was walking through and he was shot by a fire arrow. You murder people for no reason what so ever!" The guard yelled.

"You can't deny it was you who shot that arrow, the fire arrow is your signature!" The guard continued.

Link's eyes bolted open and he dropped off of Epona's back. For the first time since Zelda had seen him, Link had the fire of a Gerudo in his eyes.

"That man was trespassing into Gerudo land, he led our guards away and killed them, and then when I was sent there he tried to pull himself off as a lost traveler. He tried to fool me into thinking that I was mistaken but I found out who he was and used the anger of my people to kill him." Link said icily.

The Hyrule guard turned from them and grabbed his small bag from a bush behind him.

"I knew the Gerudo couldn't be trusted, but I must obey the King and report back. Just wait 'till he hears about this; Sand Serpent." The guard lifted his spear and ran to Gerudo Valley.

Zelda felt an overwhelming sadness flow over her. The King of Hyrule, her father, would not let her visit the Gerudo's ever again after this. Let alone permit her to leave the castle to see the Gerudo prince in private. Impa would surely follow her _everywhere_.

Link let out a long sigh. Although his mother would be the voice of reason and undoubtedly believe him, Zelda would have a hard time convincing the King of Hyrule the same. This would be difficult.

Zelda sat at her desk, writing in her small purple diary. She was grounded for a month and forbidden from leaving the castle grounds until further notice. What was worse was Impa was constantly staring at her, never leaving until Zelda went to bed or to eat.

'_I don't know how much more of this I can take!' _she wrote.

Link sat in the corner of Lon Lon Ranch, somewhat hidden from the sun's rays and unwanted attention. It had been half a week and already he was bored out of his mind.

Malon approached the corner slowly, trying not to make too much noise.

"Hey." She whispered. Link slowly looked up, tiredness in his blue eyes. He had spent the last few days sitting there, his mind in the clouds, as he seemed to be arguing with himself.

"Hi Malon." He replied, letting his gaze fall back to the grass beneath his feet.

"Don't be so worried about Zelda, her dad may talk big but he has a kind heart. The worst she got was probably grounding." Malon patted Link's shoulder with a small smile.

He sighed and closed his eyes.

"But it's all my fault, I was the one who caused all this." He mumbled. Malon snorted and grabbed his arm, hauling Link onto his feet.

"Enough moping. Let's go for a ride to Lake Hylia." Malon announced, pulling the surprised prince to the horse stables.

Malon smiled to herself, this was a brilliant idea. She had only dragged Link to the lake yesterday and already he seemed to be coming out of his little depression.

But there was a strange feeling rising within her every time she saw Link ride to meet her at Lon Lon Ranch. It was like her breath came out short and her heart began to ache. And sometimes she found her face getting warm when she talked to him.

"Malon? Are you even listening to me?" Link asked, waving his hand in front of her face. She blinked and looked questioningly at him. "I'll take that as a no?" Malon felt the warmth rise in her face.

"Sorry, what were you saying again?" She asked. Link sighed. "I was wondering if I should go see Zelda tonight." He repeated. Malon could feel a pang at her heart followed by a long painful ache as Link stared at Hyrule Castle. Anger rushed and caused her to raise her voice.

"No!" She yelled. Link raised his eyebrows at her sudden outburst.

"What's wrong? You seem pissed at me." He asked. Malon struggled to find an acceptable reason, her eyes darting back and forth.

"Uh, you could get Zelda in even more trouble. Or you could get caught and Zelda would get in even more trouble." She said quickly. Link nodded and lowered his eyes from the castle, guilt rushing over him.

"Yeah, I probably would cause a lot of trouble for her." He mumbled.

Malon struggled to keep herself from smiling and as she did so, she began to realize what she just did. Where were these feelings coming from and why did they affect her so? It was time for her to seek the advice of an elder, and she knew exactly who to ask.

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The River Dragon: Don't you love cliffies?? I do, but I needed to do this... you'll see next chapter!!


	6. Chapter 6

River Dragon: Hello everyone! The next chapter is up! It's been beautified...is that a word?? Oh well... enjoy.

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Chapter 6

Rain was beginning to fall as Link leapt onto the high wall of Hyrule Castle. He ran swiftly along the top, looking around occasionally to see if there were any onlookers.

He crouched down and jumped into a large tree next to a window lit by candle light. The tree shook slightly and creaked under the sudden added weight on its limbs.

Link froze when a figure appeared in the window, staying as silent and still as possible. The window opened slightly to reveal a familiar face and Link smiled.

His legs tensed as they readied to launch him from the tree but they did not move.

He longed to jump onto her windowsill but his mind kept replaying Malon's words over and over, making him stall and his heart ache.

"_You could get Zelda in even more trouble. Or you could get caught and Zelda would get in even more trouble."_

Malon's voice rang through his mind and he sighed.

'Maybe it'll be fine.' He said to himself, preparing to jump when another person appeared in Zelda's window and quickly shut it. With a sigh, Link turned and leapt from the tree, back onto the wall and to where Epona waited for him.

"Father, I need to ask you about something." Malon said, pulling her father into the room upstairs.

As he sat down, Malon paced the room, thinking of the perfect way to tell him what was wrong but make it sound as if it was someone else.

Talon watched in concern as his daughter walked the room, her expression hard with the thoughts that were undoubtedly rushing through her head.

She stopped and sat on one of the small chairs next to the table.

"A couple of friends of mine are having a small romance trouble. You see, uh, Rose and, uh, Sandy has a crush on the same guy and whenever Rose is around him Sandy gets really mad and wants to get rid of Rose. But since Sandy is Rose's best friend, she doesn't want to hurt Rose's feelings. It's kind of confusing but what do you think Sandy should do?" Malon blurted out, gasping for breath at the end.

Talon blinked a couple times and sighed.

"It sounds as if your friends are jealous. Jealousy can breed bad things. Your friends might even end up hating each other after all this." Talon shook his head, wondering what he should say to help his daughter. Unfortunately he had little experience in such things.

"Jealous?" Malon squeeked.

"This is about you, Zelda and Link, isn't it?" Talon asked, scratching his head in thought. Malon's eyes widened and her face turned pink.

"How? How did you know?" Malon asked, her face turning red. Talon looked up with a small smile. "I put two and two together. I saw you guys talking the other day and saw some of this coming.

"Believe it or not Malon, but I used to help train horses in Gerudo Valley about a year before you were born. I only stayed there for a little bit but I learned a lot. I found that Gerudo males are very rare, usually there's only one born every lifetime. But what I noticed about males who were adopted into Gerudo families was this; they become very in tuned with female emotions, all because they are surrounded by females." He said, half to himself.

Malon calmed down slightly and listened carefully.

"Sorry to say this but, Link may even know that you and Zelda like him." He winced as his daughter rose and stomped her foot on the ground. "So he was playing us! That bastard!" She screamed. Talon stopped Malon before she broke a hole in the floor and continued.

"But he may not have realized it; Link is still young and inexperienced in love no doubt. The only way you can resolve this before it gets out of hand is to talk to Zelda and Link. But I think you should talk to them separately." Talon added.

Malon looked down at her feet in embarrassment and nodded. Tomorrow she would set out to see Zelda.

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The River Dragon: Hmn... I remember now why I rated this T... minor swears lol.


	7. Chapter 7

The River Dragon: Hey everyone! Special thanks to Yuffigal23, Silverpistola, Nonnahs and Robinfan! For their posts from back in the day.

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Chapter 7 

Malon rode her mare to Hyrule Castle, hoping Zelda was there and not busy. A guard at the entrance recognized her as she dismounted and took her mare.

"Princess Zelda is in her room." He told Malon who nodded in reply.

She walked up the spiralling stairs to the east tower, the same route she took every time she visited Zelda. She reached the top and knocked on the large wooden door.

"Impa! I told you that I'm fine and I'm not sneaking out!" Zelda said impatiently. Footsteps could be heard approaching the door and it swung open to reveal the princess. Zelda's eyes widened and a large smile appeared on her face. Malon stumbled backwards as her friend hugged her tight.

"It's been so long since I've seen you Malon! Impa wouldn't let me outside to see you and I was worried you were in mad at me for not coming." Zelda blurted out rather quickly. Malon managed to grasp it all and smiled half-heartedly.

Zelda let go and pulled Malon into her room.

"So what have you guys been doing? Nothing too interesting, right? I don't want to miss anything!" She asked. Malon shook her head. No matter what, Zelda was always cheerful which made what Malon had to say that much harder.

Zelda blinked at her unusually quiet friend. "What's wrong Malon? You seem sad." She asked, touching Malon's shoulder.

"Zelda, I have to tell you something I don't think you're going to like. Please forgive me."

Link sighed deeply, boredom taking over him. Now both Zelda **and** Malon were gone.

"I swear the Triforce is laughing at me, you're having too much fun little boy! You are supposed to be serious and ruling the Gerudo's! All your friends must leave you!" He said in a very high pitched voice.

Epona snorted at this. Link laughed and petted her nose. "Okay, okay! So not all my friends are gone. I didn't forget about you Epona, how could you ever think such a thing?" He laughed.

Epona snorted again.

Zelda looked at the floor as silence washed over the two.

"So he may not know right?" Zelda asked. Malon nodded. "I'm sorry Zelda, I didn't mean it to happen, and I knew you liked him. I shouldn't have done anything." She said, her head bowed as well.

"It's okay. I'm just happy you told me all this. If I was the one who had to say it, I don't think I'd be able to. I'd be too scared." She said, hugging Malon.

'I can't tell her that I was jealous. She's sad and I only told her the not so bad things.'

"Malon, I don't suppose you know if Link came around here a few days ago? Do you?" Zelda asked. Malon looked up and nodded.

"He mentioned that he wanted to come but he was a bit unsure. I think he was worried that you'd get in more trouble if he was caught. Why?" Malon asked. Zelda looked at her window for a moment.

"I think Impa saw him. She said she felt someone's presence outside the other day. And I felt it too." Zelda replied.

Link ran out of a house in Kakariko Village, a small pouch in one hand and his ocarina in the other. Yells could be heard from the house he had robbed and his smile only grew. He played the song to summon Epona and ran down the stairs to Hyrule Field.

He jumped onto her back and nudged her into a run. The rain still poured down in the small village providing coverage from the eyes of the villagers. The sun had just set and the dark helped him further.

'How I love this rush.' He said to himself, his eyes turning to the right to see Hyrule Castle. He nudged Epona to turn towards it and she instantly responded.

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The River Dragon: Did you like it? Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

The River Dragon: Thank you Silverpistola, Nonnahs Princess Kira Lady of Elements, Rynada and GuyBrush007 for your wonderous reviews!

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Link looked at the wall around Hyrule and then down at the pouch in his hand. _'Hm, I guess I should come back, if those villagers find me here I'll be done for.'_ He said to himself, nudging Epona into a run towards their home.

Zelda paced her room, thinking over all the things Malon had told her just a few moments ago. She was glad though, that Malon was now gone. Now she could show her anger, sadness, distress, irritation and whatever other feeling she was experiencing then. And even though Malon hadn't said it, Zelda knew that she was jealous, she could see it in her eyes.

Zelda held her head in her hands and let out a sigh.

Zelda kneeled next to her small garden, looking over her work with pride. She had only been up for about an hour and already she had cleaned out all the weeds from her roses. There were two gardens like this in the castle, one which was much larger was by the throne room and her father could see out from a window in the wall, and then there was this one which was hidden from the eyes of onlookers, placed almost directly behind her room. Few people even knew that it existed.

The trees on the outside of the castle walls creaked. She lifted her head slightly but only felt a very weak wind, one nowhere near strong enough to shift a tree.

"Hey." Zelda gasped at the closeness of the voice and the warm breath on her ear, so much so that she almost fell over.

A strong but gentle hand grabbed her arm and kept her from falling. When she finally looked up she saw Link snickering at her. She frowned at him and sat down in the grass.

"Frighten easily don't we?" He said, obviously holding back a laugh.

"Well when you do that, yes!" She replied, shoving him lightly.

Rubbing his shoulder, Link looked over the small garden before him with wide eyes that took in every detail. "That's amazing." He whispered in awe.

"They're just roses. Nothing special." Zelda said, instantly figuring out what Link was talking about. He shook his head.

"I've never really seen flowers, not really. I'm sure Epona's trampled over wild ones but they were all weeds. Back in my home there are no flowers. The closest thing we have to them is grass, and that only grows on the outskirts."

Zelda looked at the roses before her. _'No wonder there aren't any flowers; the Gerudo Valley is all sand, scorching sun and dryness. Everything that a flower hates.'_ She said to herself.

Link flinched and turned around, his bow and arrow out and pointed at a woman in the entrance.


	9. Chapter 9

The River Dragon: It seems that this is where I left off the last time, but fear not, they're still coming!!

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Chapter 9

Malon rode to the Lon Lon Ranch alone, as usual. Luckily there were no monsters appearing in these fields anymore, they'd long since stopped. Malon smiled. _'Epona probably ran over them all.'_ She said to herself.

She urged her mare into a slow gallop as they approached the Ranch. _'I told Zelda and now all I have to do is pray she doesn't hate me and decides to keep me as a friend. I doubt things will ever be the same though.' _Malon added to herself.

Link held the arrow in place as a woman stood in the entrance to the garden. He couldn't see much, his eyes were unused to seeing detail in the shade when it was sunny outside. Had it been pitch black and the woman was standing in the shadows of something, he'd see every inch of her, but now his eyes squinted and strained to keep open.

Zelda stood and placed her hand on his bow. As he turned to her in question, he could still see the worry in her eyes even though his were starting to water.

He lowered his bow and pulled the arrow away, placing it back in the holder along with the others. _'It's strange, I can't feel this woman's intentions nor can I predict her movements. It feels like she's hardly even there.'_ Link said to himself as he gave the woman an unsure look.

"Impa, you're not going to tell my father, are you?" Zelda asked, taking a step towards the woman apparently named Impa.

Although his eyes were dying in the sunlight, Link's ears could pick up the sound of a small laugh emitting from the woman. _'Damn sun, I wish it would go behind a tower or something, it was better when I was kneeling, at least then the wall was blocking it.'_

"I didn't see anything, what would I tell your father about?" Impa asked a smile on her face. _'Poor Gerudo Prince can't see five feet in front of him, not when I stand in this position.' _Impa added to herself. _'One of the few Gerudo curses, they can't see in the sunlight after a life in the night.'_

A cloud passed over the sun and brought about a moment of darkness.

Zelda felt a small wind beside her and she turned to find Link gone.

"You knew about him this whole time?" Zelda cried. Impa smiled slightly. "It was kind of hard not to. I've seen him sneak into the castle before you even met him. And I've seen him bully the guards; lure them into chasing him in circles, then trapping them in a dungeon or something. And they still fall for it. Quite pathetic really." Impa replied.

She suddenly walked over to the window in Zelda's room and paused.

"And I also know that he's just outside, undoubtedly waiting for me to leave." Impa smiled. "He doesn't trust me that I am sure of. He was ready to shoot me before and now he shoots 

daggers at my back. I don't blame him though; it doesn't seem he's too used to having someone who can out sneak him." Added Impa as she closed the door behind her.


	10. Chapter 10

The River Dragon: Enjoy Chapter ten, it gets fluffy!

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Chapter 10

Just as Impa had said, Link was outside; it was almost instantly after she closed the door that he leapt from a nearby tree onto the windowsill.

In her mind, Zelda wondered if she should bring up the topic Malon had spoke about. She knew that she shouldn't but she was curious. And so, the words slipped out of her mouth.

"Do you like Malon?" She asked in a voice barely audible.

Link tilted his head to the side slightly in questioning. "Where did that come from?" he asked, sitting down on the sill.

Zelda shook her head, motioning that she'd rather not explain it all. _'If I explain I might end up saying too much.'_ She said to herself.

As the silence drifted through the room, Zelda felt tears form and her body start to quiver.

Link thought over the tone of her voice and the question she asked many times, trying to find any hidden secrets it held that – should they be revealed – could be disastrous. Finding none he let out a sigh but then held it as he saw her on the verge of crying. His breath was caught and he felt a pang at his heart.

In his attempt to try and prevent her from crying he ended up doing so in the process. _"I thought about it too long!"_ He mentally cursed himself.

"No!" He practically screamed as his heart and mind raced. Zelda looked up with wide eyes, not expecting Link to reply so loudly, or that he even could.

He felt his face begin to burn, something he wasn't used to.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to say that so loud. I like Malon but only as a friend or maybe a younger sister. I don't understand how you could have thought that I had feelings for her when it's so obvious that someone else already has my heart. She has for quite some time, but I don't think she's noticed it." His immediate thoughts flew out of his mouth accidentally as he panicked, making it sound like he was talking more to himself then to her.

'_What's wrong with me? I've never felt so, scared? I've been able to read girls' emotions for years but for some reason I can't think straight when I look at Zelda. I want to say a million things at once and my mouth responds in a yell or gibberish, or both!'_

Impa stood outside the door to Zelda's room hiding a small smile behind her hand. The Gerudo Prince was having a harder time than expected. _'Poor boy, he's probably never actually been in love before and has no idea what to do.' _She thought to herself.

Link held his head in his hands and groaned. _'She probably thinks I'm an idiot!' _He yelled at himself.

He could hear snickering from where Zelda sat and he hung his head lower. _'Great, now she's laughing at me.'_ He said to himself.

But suddenly he heard the sound of a feet coming closer to him and looked up momentarily to see Zelda wrap her arms around his neck and hug him with a flush on her face. "I had a hunch." She mumbled.

He gasped but didn't return the hug which caused her to pull away and look at him questioningly.

She suddenly felt a sharp pain in her heart. _'Wait, what if he was thinking about someone else! Is that why he isn't-' _She was cut off.

Link had craned his head down slightly and pressed his lips to hers, he had seen the sudden panic in her eyes and for the first time since he came in that window, he knew how to answer her.

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The River Dragon: Wow, that was a pretty good romance-y tidbit...lol...next chapter is coming soon...


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Link rode out of Gerudo Valley in a huff. _'Of all the things!' _He thought to himself. _'How could mother make me marry?'_

"I know it sounds horrible in your opinion, your face tells the truth, but ever since the beginning of the Gerudos' the prince always married a princess from another area. Our neighbours far to the east have prepared the perfect bride. And she is more than willing." The Queen of Gerudo's explained to her son.

"Originally I thought you should wed Princess Zelda of Hyrule, that's why they were invited here a few weeks ago."

Link managed to keep his face from betraying him and his thoughts this time around, but only just.

"Although, for some reason the King took it as some sort of insult. Calling us bats that flit around in the night drinking blood." Nobooru laughed, "That he didn't want his daughter to be like that."

"Anyway, he seems to be the only one who doesn't suspect that something is going on between you and her highness Zelda." Nobooru snickered at the expression of complete embarrassment she just bestowed upon her son.

Link narrowed his eyes as he rode over the bridge connecting Gerudo Valley with the field. _'How can she be so irritating and observant at the same time without my noticing?' _he asked himself.

He left Gerudo territory as the sun began to set, his eyes locked on Hyrule Castle.

'_Zelda can't know about this. She'll just overreact.' _

As he turned Epona towards the eastern waters and hoped that the King – who he had known to be fairly understanding in such situations- would vouch for him and cancel the wedding.

Zelda paced her room franticly waiting for Link to appear on her windowsill. She had to warn him of the attack on the Gerudo's that her father was planning. There was only a month left before Hylian men marched in and attacked and the Gerudo's were none the wiser.

She peeked outside only to find it quiet and still, only one voice echoed through the halls of the castle and it was her fathers.

"Only a month left and then the Gerudo's will pay for insulting us. Now, how much time will it take for…?" Zelda closed her door, not wanting to hear about the things her father planned to do to the Gerudo's.

She opened a single window and peered out into the darkness, her eyes straining to see something moving towards the castle on horseback. For a moment she thought she saw the shine of an arrow but it was only one of the guards patrolling on the wall around the castle. She stood there for a few minutes, thinking over how she was going to tell Link what she had heard so that he would handle it okay. But then she realized something. Link wasn't going to be calm and collected when she told him this, he would be furious and then he would have to tell his mother and then there could be an all out war! And if there _wasn't _a war, he would never want to set foot in Hyrule ever again, he would _hate _her because she wasn't able to stop the attack!

She suddenly began to pace again, worry overflowing in her mind as it thought up horrible things that would happen.

Link rode past Lon Lon Ranch's southern wall, avoiding the eyes of Hyrule Castle and the eyes of Zelda, who he was sure was looking out her window and trying to spot him. Unfortunately for her, he wouldn't be visiting her tonight.

'_Even if I did go there, I wouldn't be able to pay attention. Plus I think Hyrule has added a few new guards to their walls. It wouldn't be wise to just jump in and not know how many could be hiding and waiting for me." _He said to himself. _"Besides, I'm sure Zelda would prefer it if I'm not wed to some girl with flippers. Actually I don't think she'd want me to marry someone else at all.'_ He chuckled to himself.

Nudging Epona to go faster, he began to see the pool of water that led upstream to a place that was called The Zora's Domain.

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The River Dragon: MWAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH aren't I evil? Ruto and Link pairing I'm prepared for the throwing of knives at my head. Don't worry, it's a ZeldaxLink mainly now, but Ruto won't be easy to get rid of! Also, thank you to Belle89, Me:), and KRP.


	12. Chapter 12

The River Dragon: Here's the new chapter, the one that will most likely be the longest so far. We'll see what happens for our characters. Will the Zora King agree to cancel the engagement? Will Ruto be alright with this? What about the brewing war? All this will be answered in the last two chapters of Legend of Zelda the Red Thief!

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Chapter 12

Link walked up the steep flight of stairs to the Zora King's throne room, he had made sure to wear his Zora tunic in case there was a problem.

He could see the torches now and just as he reached the last step, Link heard the laughter of the Zora King.

"Link!" He chuckled and his gills shook.

He walked up to the platform and bowed deeply. "Hello King of the water." Link said formally.

There was another loud laugh. "Now really, Link. You don't have to be so formal to your uncle." Link rose from his bow with a small smile. "Remember that I was the one who watched over you now and then when you were little!"

He remembered this very well, but the Zora King was not his real uncle, just a friend of the family. As an afterthought he remembered his uncle's daughter as well, but reluctantly. Ruto was nothing like her kind and patient father.

"Ah! Link!" Link winced at the sound of Ruto's voice. _"Bad timing."_

"Ruto, please go back to your room, I'm speaking with Link now." He said, pushing his daughter aside before she could even appear at the door behind him.

Link silently thanked the three goddesses for giving his uncle an excellent sense of appropriate timing.

He could hear Ruto huff and splash off.

"I know that you don't want to marry my daughter." His uncle stated suddenly.

Link couldn't hide the shock on his face. Now he cursed the goddesses for the gift they gave the Zora King.

"I'm sorry." He apologized by bowing once more.

"Don't be, both your mother and I saw this coming. It was arranged when you were much younger but just before we were about to announce it, you started to fancy the Hyrule Princess. We talked not too long ago, your mother and I. We decided that, we would tell you about the arrangement and see what you would choose. Either you would listen to 

us and do your duty as a prince, or you would follow your heart." His uncle smiled. "It seems you've chosen your heart."

"Ruto won't be happy." Link stated.

"She never is." His uncle laughed.

Zelda rushed out the gates of Hyrule on her mare; she had waited as long as she could. Now she had to tell Link and she was going to find him, no matter how long it took. But first she had to go see the Queen of Gerudo's.

She pushed her mare into a full run, crossing the wide open field quickly as she followed the route that she knew was the fastest.

Link pulled himself out of Lake Hylia and tried to dry off a bit before pulling out his ocarina to summon Epona. It would take her a little bit to reach him, so in that time he would go grab his dry red tunic from atop the diving test house.

As he climbed the long ladder to the top, Link realized that the sky was growing darker by the second. A loud snort caught his attention and he looked down at the ground. Epona watched him questioningly, as if saying "Well? You called me, why are you climbing up there when I'm down here?"

He smiled at her and continued to climb. When he reached the top, he grabbed his tunic and watched the horizon. It was going to rain hard and very soon.

He only had enough time to reach the gates at the edge of Lake Hylia before the downpour started.

"I should have just stayed in my wet clothing." Link said to himself as he became rather irritated with having to wipe the wet strands of hair from his face over and over. Then his tunic stuck to him wet from the rain and cold from the wind, making him shiver.

He made Epona gallop towards the Lon Lon Ranch; he knew that it was closer and much safer route. The bridge to Gerudo Fortress became very slippery when wet, and with the strong wind coming from the north, it was much harder to keep control.

Finally they walked into the Ranch and headed straight for the stables, but suddenly something hit his leg and pulled at his arm, yanking Link down. Malon stood there with wide eyes.

"Link! Zelda's outside!" She yelled above the rain. Thunder crashed in the distance followed by flashes of lightning.

"What do you mean she's outside?" He asked.

"She's out there in the field looking for you; the guards at Hyrule came here asking if she came by. We haven't seen her yet, and by the looks of the storm, I think she's stuck somewhere out there." Malon explained.

"But why is she looking for me?" Link asked, unable to hide the confusion in his voice.

"I don't know." Malon shrugged. "But it has to be something big if she risked her father's anger and a storm like this!"

This made the energy flow back into Link as he shook Malon off and turned Epona around, pushing her to a full run out of the Ranch.

"We meant no harm in what happened it was all just a big misunderstanding that grew out of proportion, why can't we put that aside?" Nobooru said to the Hyrule King who nodded slowly.

"Both of our children are out there in _that_. We have to help them in any way we can." He said, determination now flowing through his voice.

Nobooru extended her hand; the King looked at it for a moment before nodding and taking her hand in a firm shake. "Agreed?" She asked.

"Agreed."

When Link stepped out onto the field his eyes scanned over the darkened land before him, seeing right through the rain.

"She's probably headed in the direction of the Gerudo Fortress." He said to himself as he turned to his left. Link nudged Epona back into her run, leading her up the steep hill to the desert land.

"_I can't even see where I'm going anymore. I thought that I'd be at the Fortress by now but I can still sort of find grass beneath us." _Zelda thought frantically.

_"Have we been going in circles?" _She added, stopping her mare and looking around in vain. Panic was growing quickly inside of her, now she was afraid.

She nudged her mare into run, hoping that it would sense where they were better than her, and hopefully they wouldn't run into a wall. But her mare was just as confused as Zelda.

Suddenly the mare picked up a noise and turned, stopping in her tracks. Zelda pushed the mare towards the sound, despite its hesitation, and felt something ram right into them. Zelda flew from her saddle and landed with a heavy thump onto the wet ground beneath her.

She could hear her mare give a frightened scream and stomp off into the distance, and then her world went black.

Link gripped Epona's mane in one hand and the saddle in his other; he had hit what sounded like a horse and only just managed to stay in his saddle. He silently thanked all the training his mother made him go through, for if he hadn't had that training, he'd be on the ground now and subject to eight scared hooves.

_"But why was there a horse all the way out here?_"

Then it hit him harder than the horse had.

"Zelda!" He yelled, sliding off Epona's back and leaning over with his hands extended, feeling for any sign of her.

Suddenly his thumb brushed something soft and he stopped instantly, he pulled his tunic over the spot to shield it from the rain; a foot. He moved up to where her head was and let out a relieved sigh. Her eyes were closed but she was breathing.

_"The fall must have knocked her out." _He said to himself.

He slid an arm under her back and lifted Zelda until she sat upright. He gently tapped her cheek with the other hand.

"Wake up Zelda, come on." He whispered into her ear.

She groaned and slowly opened her eyes. Her face was filled with confusion but Link was fairly sure that she still couldn't fully _see_ him or comprehend what was happening.

Before he could get a word in, her eyes rolled back into her head and her body went limp again. He sighed and tucked his other hand under her knees, lifting Zelda up and onto Epona's back.

"Hold her steady Epona." He told the mare, who merely snorted at him.

Link pulled out his ocarina and drew a deep breath; the Requiem of Spirit was the song he played.

* * *

The River Dragon: Is that long enough for you? I hope so, because the next one is going to be just as long, maybe longer? But next up is the FINAL chapter of Legend of Zelda, the Red Thief!


	13. Finale part 1

The River Dragon: This is my final chapter, I might make an Epilogue but that depends solely on the reviews! Enjoy!!

Chapter 13 FINALE –Part One

Zelda opened her eyes and looked up at the stone ceiling above her, her head throbbed horribly as it tried to understand where she was and what happened.

She winced as she pulled herself up from the stone floor, the room spun for a moment but after a few blinks it subsided. Now that her vision was cleared up she took the room in completely. It was made entirely of stone the colour of sand. There was a large stairway leading to who knew where behind her along with some torches.

She looked outside at the sand dunes and realized just how hot it was in this place, her legs were especially hot. A green tunic that looked almost brand-new was laid across her. It looked very familiar.

It took her a bit of effort but she managed to pull herself to her feet and walk to the entrance of this strange place.

She stood there for a moment, looking at the black storm clouds that dumped water down on their world, a flash of lightning lit up the area followed by a deep roll of thunder, making her jump. Suddenly something caught her eye next to her; it took everything she had to not yelp.

Link sat against the stone wall, leaning on the large sword he usually carried on his back.

Zelda knelt down next to him and smiled. She could hear him slowly breathe in and out, making her tired body feel heavy.

She sat down next to him and laid her head on his shoulder. Zelda closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the rain.

"_He's warm."_ Zelda thought to herself. It seemed that this mixed with the rise and fall of his breathing, quickly lulled the princess into a deep sleep.

Link woke to something hot and wet running across his face, then a blast of hot air hit him in the ear. His brows crossed at the unpleasant wake-up call.

He looked up at Epona who snorted into his face once more.

"Thank you." Link said rather sarcastically.

Just as he was about to wipe off the horse spit from his face, he realized that there was a sudden weight on his left arm.

He turned and muffled a gasp.

It seemed that Zelda had moved in the middle of the night and was now resting on him.

_"I don't understand, normally I'm a really light sleeper." _He said to himself._"If someone moves I wake, this should have made me jump!" _ He really wanted to scratch his head at this but he feared moving that arm.

He raised his other hand and filled with conflict, went to shake the princess awake. But before he could attempt it, she suddenly groaned and shifted a little. He could feel one of her arms wind around his left one. Link's eyes went wide and he pulled his right hand back, forcing himself to abandon all hopes of saving his left one.

She appeared to settle back into her dreams, making Link let out a long sigh of relief. That had made his heart leap up into his throat and even now it was still going a mile a minute.

Link looked over at Epona again. "What do I do?"

The mare looked at him sideways and sniffed the air. _Do I have to do everything?_ She seemed to say to him.

She walked around him slowly and brushed her nose against Zelda's hair. "Why does she get that and I get a wet face?" Link hissed.

Then Zelda shifted again, this time with the help of Epona, Zelda was successfully pulled from her sleep. Link's mind reeled at what he was supposed to do next.

Then he did what first came to mind, he closed his eyes and tried to slow his breathing. He could feel Zelda sit up as the weight lifted from his shoulder and her arm released his. Now he had to relax and let her figure it out, because he was well past the point of understanding what to do.

He could hear a small gasp; her hand –he guessed- flew up to her mouth most likely to try and hide that gasp and in the process pulled his sleeve roughly to his left. He toppled over and landed on something soft.

Link's eyes flung open as he tried to figure out what just happened. He looked up from her lap to see Zelda staring back down at him with a deep flush on her face. He could feel his heart racing and desperately hoped Zelda could not.

"Oh Farore! I'm so sorry! Did I hurt you?" She asked, trying to hide her crimson cheeks with the hands that had knocked him over.

His embarrassment rivalled that of Zelda's but luckily for him; Gerudo's are always very tanned, so _his_ blush was much harder to spot. Link pushed himself up from her and quickly rose to his feet.

"No, I'm alright; I'm more concerned about you." He laughed, also trying to hide the uneasiness in his voice. "I'm not exactly light." Link extended a hand to Zelda, who after a moment of hesitation accepted it.

He easily lifted her up with the one hand. "But it seems that _you _arelighter than air."

Zelda chuckled and her flush faded. Link frowned. "Hmn, that didn't sound corny in my head." He said with a sigh.

She laughed at this. "Well, at least the storm has passed." Zelda motioned to the blue sky above them.

The two of them stood there for a few minutes, watching the clouds slowly pass them by, Link was glad that things had calmed down.

Epona side stepped into Link and pushed his hand so that it brushed against Zelda's. They exchanged glances of surprise.

Link swallowed nervously and pushed himself. He slipped his hand into Zelda's and knit his fingers between hers. He kept his eyes on the horizon even though he knew that she was looking at him.

Suddenly he felt her lips on his cheek. It may have been only a few seconds but to him it seemed much longer. Now he knew his face was glowing.

"Link?" Zelda broke the silence. He looked down at her with a raised brow, trying to seem calmer than he was. "Why didn't you come to my window the other night?"

He mentally winced and silently wished that the silence had remained. _"I really don't want to mention Ruto and the arrangement, even though it's already cleared up. And I don't want to tell her about my raids...especially since it was so close to Hyrule." _He said to himself.

"Well?"

"But I thought you agreed with Queen Nobooru that this was a big misunderstanding? Sir." The King of Hyrule sat down at his desk and looked over at his adviser.

"I agreed that this was a misunderstanding and that I would put that aside, but I did not say that I would call a truce." The King said, looking down at his papers and grabbing a quill.

"She knows full well what's heading her way, and she knows how soon it will come too." He added.

"I'd rather not answer that, Zelda." Link mumbled, wishing that he could avoid the subject completely, but as he looked at the princess out of the corner of his eye, he realized that this answer would not be enough to end the conversation.

"Link." She said sternly, clenching his hand tightly. "Please tell me."

He watched the horizon with determined eyes; he would stay silent no matter what, he would not ruin this moment.

Zelda watched his expression turn from secretive to determined, and then to guilt, although she was unsure if he realized that his face said so much to her. She mentally sighed in defeat. _"If he can't tell me there's no point in pushing it. Gerudo's never budge when they've made their decision."_

"I wanted to warn you about something my father is secretly planning." She said, pleased that when she said this Link's attention returned to her. "He's planning a war against the Gerudo's!"

She was shocked when Link's expression did not change into one of surprise or anger. "It's going to happen in a months' time!" She continued, trying to get some kind of expression out of him.

"Is that all?" Link asked.

Zelda's mouth gaped at him. "What do you mean, _is that all_?" She asked, her voice rising. "It's a war! And all you can say is, _is that all_?"

Link sighed. "I've known about that for some time, all of my people have. It's been brewing since before you and I were even born." He explained. "And the war is not in a month. It will happen in three days from now."

Zelda didn't know what to say.

"Your father saw to the early arrival." Link continued.

"How do you know about that? Why am I the last to know?" Zelda asked.

Link raised a brow at this. "I highly doubt that your father would be eager to tell you about a war." He replied. "As for how I know about this, well, I had hoped that I could avoid this but..."

"What?" Zelda pushed.

"In one of my raids, I passed by Hyrule and overheard one of your guards talking about the war and how your father had pushed the time of attack ahead. At the time, they said it was in a week."

Zelda was fuming now. "Then, how come you haven't told your mother to end the war? You know the time of attack, what's stopping you?"

Link smiled bitterly. "Zelda, I am only a prince. The rules of our kingdom are very different from yours. A prince has little say in a war; the people decide whether or not to go to war. Even though my 

mother could end the war before it started, our people would hate her and call her cowardly, they might even banish or kill her." He continued. "I cannot be banished though, because I am a male heir, which is my only defence and my only weapon."

Zelda suddenly felt very guilty for being so naive. _"I had no idea that their culture was so different and so severe. Link carries a lot of weight on his back."_

"We should leave this temple now." He told her after the long silence, motioning for Epona to come. Zelda nodded.

Link gave her a boost into Epona's saddle and handed her his scarf. "You should put that on unless you want a mouthful of sand." He said with a smile.

Zelda quickly took the scarf and wrapped it around her head. _"He's trying to make light of what he just said. I guess he knows what I'm thinking."_

Link walked Epona through the front gate into the Gerudo Fortress as Zelda rode Epona. "You can take off the scarf now if you want, the sand won't reach you here." He said, realizing that Zelda was still wearing the scarf even though they had long since passed the sandstorms.

She leaned over Epona's neck so that she could whisper to Link. "But won't something bad happen if I'm found here? I am the enemy's daughter, remember."

Link looked back at her with a grin. "The guards here know that you are no threat to them. And because of me; you will always be welcome in Gerudo Fortress." He chuckled, knowing that Zelda was fairly confused at his last statement.

He stopped Epona just in front of the stairs on the second level of the Fortress.

"Wait here a moment; I'm going to get another horse." He handed Zelda the reins and turned to leave, but he stopped and looked over his shoulder at them. "Stay with her." He said sternly to Epona.

His mare snorted in insult but stayed where she was. Link nodded and rushed off.

A Gerudo appeared next to Zelda, nearly making the princess fall off Epona.

"I'm surprised that he left you with Epona, and that the mare is letting you sit there on her back. She's usually very temperamental about who rides her, Princess Zelda." Zelda recognized this voice and felt relief flow over her.

"It seems that you two have made a bond with my son."

Zelda pulled off the scarf from her face and smiled shyly down at Queen Nobooru. "How did you know it was me?" She asked.

Nobooru held Zelda's arm and pointed at the symbol of the Triforce sewn into Zelda's sleeve. "This is the obvious way." Nobooru touched Link's scarf around Zelda's neck and smiled. "This is the less-obvious way. He must really like you if he gave you this." She turned the scarf over and revealed a symbol.

"It is the symbol of the Spirit Temple and the Gerudo's symbol of royalty." Nobooru explained, revealing the same symbol on her shirt. "Like two spirits forever circling each other, that is our symbol." She added.

Zelda stared at the scarf, suddenly realizing its great value.

"Don't let him slip through your fingers like the sand he was raised in."

She looked up from the scarf only to find that the Queen was nowhere to be found.

_"What did she mean by that? Slip through my fingers like sand?" _Zelda thought to herself, Epona looked over at her with one eye.

"Do you understand what she meant?" Zelda asked the mare. Epona stared at her for a moment and let out a snort, she then pointed her head ahead of them.

"What is it? Is there a hole? I hope not, I just got it mended the other day." Zelda jumped at the sound of Link's voice. He stood next to her with a slightly darker mare, a question apparent on his face. Zelda silently slipped off Epona's back and wrapped her arms around Link. "Thank you." She whispered.

Link's eyes went wide at this. Zelda let go and jumped away, just realizing what she did in plain daylight in the middle of Gerudo Fortress. "Sorry." She apologized.

"Don't apologize, but what were you thanking me for?" He asked.

Zelda unconsciously looked down at the scarf. Link looked down as well and mentally sighed at the symbol, but his eyes went past the scarf and watched the ground. _She _was the one who told Zelda about the symbol.

"My mother was here, wasn't she?" Link stated. Zelda looked up at him in surprise.

"How did you know?" She asked.

He pointed at the ground. "Her footsteps are right here, where you were when I left. That and the fact that only Gerudo's know that symbol and its meaning." Link sighed. "And my mother would be the only one who would tell you it." He folded his arms.

Zelda couldn't help but laugh.

"Is Epona that difficult?" Zelda asked as they rode past Lon Lon Ranch. Link nodded with a chuckle.

"Yes but be careful about what you say, because she'll get upset, and you're the one on her back." He answered.

Epona snorted as if agreeing with that.

When they reached the top of the hill, Link stopped the mare and looked over at Hyrule. "This is as far as I can go." He said with his voice low.

Epona stopped without Zelda telling her to and turned to face Link. "Why?"

"Zelda, our Kingdoms are declaring war." He stated. "If I go with you, your guards will shoot me on the spot."

She jumped from Epona's saddle and landed perfectly on the ground. _"She's getting better at that."_ Link thought to himself as he too slid from the saddle.

He knew what was coming and just as she wrapped her arms around him, he met her and returned it. He could feel his heart beat racing once again, and knew that he might not be able to see her for some time. Link pushed himself again and pulled his head from Zelda's shoulder. He looked down at her and watched as she looked back at him, uncertainty overflowing in her eyes.

Without hesitation, he leaned down to her and touched his lips to hers. Time seemed to stand still for them, and neither realized how long they stood there.

Epona let out an impatient snort and lifted her hooves nervously, breaking their silence. Link looked to his mare and then to what she was so uneasy about. Behind them were a couple Hyrule guards, searching for something. Link looked further out and noticed quite a few more guards all over the field, none were near the Gerudo territory, but they were too close for his comfort.

"I have to go!" He said, grabbing his scarf and tying it around the horn of the other mare's saddle.

"What?" Zelda asked.

"There are guards from Hyrule everywhere, they're looking for something!" He explained, giving Zelda a boost into the other mare's saddle. Link ran to Epona and jumped up onto her, taking the reins in hand and turning Epona towards Gerudo territory.

"I will try to stop the war as best I can!" He said, already a quarter of the way down the hill.

"Please be careful!" Zelda called back to him, waving.

As she waved him goodbye, he couldn't bear tell her that he would be going into battle too. "I will try!"

The River Dragon: Now that Zelda and Link have shown their affections, what will happen with the war? How will Link fare? Part two is coming soon!! Will it be a happily ever after?


	14. FINALE PART 2

The River Dragon: Well lookie here, it's finally done, the last chapter to the Legend of Zelda, the red thief!! I'm so proud of myself for this one, I think the ending was pretty good though, i would have liked to put more in, but i think that it would have been too much. Meh, i like it this way, enjoy!!

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Chapter 13 FINALE – Part 2

Zelda rode down the hill towards Hyrule but before she could make it, one of the guards ran to intercept her, Link had been right; the field was crawling with guards.

"Lady Zelda, the whole Kingdom has been looking for you!" He said, taking the reins of her mare.

"She was found riding from the Gerudo territory on a Gerudo mare. This was also tied to the saddle." The guard who had found her said to the King, holding up Link's scarf.

"Obviously, she had been found by a Gerudo, was captured and then escaped, taking the scarf as proof of where she had been." The guard continued.

"No!" Zelda cried.

"No?" Her father asked, turning to his daughter.

"No!" She repeated, taking a few steps forward. "They didn't capture me! I left to tell..." She suddenly caught herself. She couldn't tell her father that she had overheard his plans to attack the Gerudo's and that she went to tell Link, the Prince about the plans! She would surely get more than grounding for that, she might be trialed for treason!

"I went to see Link." She finished. _"I'm not lying, that is why I left." _

"The Gerudo Prince?" Her father asked. "Why?"

"I like him! And he was the one who _gave _me the scarf!" She pulled the scarf from the guards' hands. "I left to find him, when the rain started I got lost but he found me and led me to safety in the Spirit Temple. He then gave me this scarf so that I wouldn't breathe in the sand; he even let me ride his horse through the desert while he walked!" she took a breath. "Then before this guard found me and dragged me here," she pointed to the guard. "He rode with me to the outskirts of Gerudo territory and made sure that I could get back home by myself!"

Her father stared at her for a moment, taking in the information carefully.

"Why didn't he take you all the way here if he was such a good escort?" He finally asked.

"Because he would have been shot by the men on the walls and you know it!" She retorted quickly.

"Go to your room young lady. You are hereby forbidden to leave Hyrule castle until I decide your affection towards the Sand Serpent Prince has left you." The King announced, pointing to the doors. "Take her away Impa."

Impa appeared from the shadows and bowed to her King. She then silently walked over to Zelda and took the young princesses' arm. Zelda didn't struggle, the shock had only just set itself in but it left her feeling numb.

Zelda lay on her bed, her sobbing could be heard from down the hall and her tears stained her pillow. Impa sat at the end of the bed and rubbed the princesses' back soothingly.

"I'm sorry Zelda, I should have warned you." Impa whispered.

Link stood atop one of the houses in Gerudo Fortress and looked down at his people.

"My people please lend me your ears!" He yelled down. Nearly all that passed by stopped and looked up at him.

"I do not have much power, nor do I pretend to. Over these last few years I have thought solely about the safety of the Gerudo people. I thank you for always standing true to your word, and I thank you for your loyalty to both my mother and myself." He took a breath.

"What I want to ask you now is something that dwelled in my thoughts for many long hours." More Gerudo's appeared from the Fortress to listen.

"I have heard the rumours many times in my travels from the desert to the waves. I know that you too have heard them. It is true that I have begun to fancy the Princess of Hyrule, and I know that she feels the same for me." He drew another breath.

"We will go to war tomorrow with the people of Hyrule." He paused.

"I do not want the one I love and the people I love to get hurt over a petty argument!" He watched his people stare at him as the silence drew on.

"But please know this, I will not stand by and watch the Gerudo race fall to the King of Hyrule! _I_ will take Nayru's Love with me and my arrows of fire to prove that the Gerudo are proud and unmoving in our ways!" He held his bow high in the air and slipped an arrow to the string. Link summoned the fire and lit the arrow.

The Gerudo's below him cheered, he could feel his heart rise in happiness. He had won the people over.

Link pulled back the string and let loose his arrow into the sky where it soared into the sun.

Nobooru stood in the doorway below Link and smiled. "I'm proud of you."

Zelda sat at her window, watching as the sun rose on the horizon just beyond the Lon Lon Ranch. Her tears welled up again. She could see her fathers' men march towards the Gerudo territory. There was far too many of them, the Gerudo's would lose, but she would still pray for them and for him.

She suddenly noticed a lone horse just outside the walls surrounding Hyrule, Malon stood there next to the horse, waving and trying to get her attention. Impa entered her room and pointed to the tree that Link had climbed so many times to reach her.

"Hurry, I'll keep watch." Impa said. Zelda saw the closest thing to a smile on Impa's face as she pointed to the tree.

Zelda nodded and stood on the windowsill, she dare not look down.

Link stood at the bridge between the Gerudo Valley and Gerudo Fortress, Nayru's Love in his left hand.

The King of Hyrule rode his horse up to the other end of the bridge and smiled at Link.

"Nobooru sent her son to protect the Gerudo's? Either she's gone senile or she's given up." The King said to his men.

"Ah, the Prince!" The King caught himself. "I can dispose of you and end this chaos now rather than waiting until my daughter forgets you."

Link frowned at this. "My mother did not send me, I chose this myself. I do not wish to fight, and neither do my people. So now I am going to destroy the only way you can reach my people."

He took Nayru's Love and pushed the gem to the ground, activating its power. A blue diamond appeared around him.

The King motioned for his men to protect him as Link then drew his bow and arrow. "I will not shoot you." Link added, aiming the arrow into the sky. Suddenly it burst into flame and all of the Kings men took a few steps back.

"Shoot him!" The King yelled to his archers.

They obeyed, taking their bows in hand and aiming at Link. "Fire!" The King ordered. They loosed their arrows in a single wave. Link did not move. As the metal rained down on him, Nayru's Love repelled the arrows until each and every one of them were on the ground around him.

All of the archers turned to their King in confusion.

Link pointed the flaming arrow at the bridge in front of him.

"Ah! Stop him before he destroys the bridge! Shoot again!" The King yelled. The archers obeyed once more and took aim. There was another wave of metal but just like the last time, all the arrows proved ineffective.

Link loosed his own arrow and the flame sprang forth. The bridge caught fire almost instantly and burned quickly. Many of the King's men retreated as the fire grew leaving only the King, eleven warriors and one archer.

Link pulled down Nayru's Love and watched the fire in satisfaction.

"They've got Link surrounded by the bridge at Gerudo Valley, none of the other Gerudo's are anywhere in sight!" Malon had told Zelda when she reached the wall. Now Zelda pushed Mist, the grey mare into a full run across the field.

She rose over the hill next to Lon Lon Ranch and bent low on Mist's neck to help the mare move faster. She then sat up again when they reached the bottom of the hill.

Zelda turned Mist to the right and up the narrow path to the Gerudo Valley. She reached the plank of wood and carefully rode up. Then she could see her father and his men in front of a wall of flames where the bridge had been.

She slid off Mist's back and ran past her father's men.

The sole archer aimed at Link, he pulled back the string. Zelda rushed towards him and pushed the archer over, but it was too late, the arrow flew.

Link yelled in pain as the arrow struck his leg. Zelda watched as he stumbled back, his foot at the very edge of the gorge. The earth beneath his feet gave way and Link fell.

Zelda pushed past her father and without even a moment's hesitation, jumped over the edge too. She pulled her arms close to her and fell faster, now Link was just within reach, she pulled out her arms and grabbed hold of him. The water came up under them fast; she took a deep breath and held onto Link with all her strength.

Zelda woke lying on what she thought was a beach but as she opened her eyes further she realized it was the island in the middle of Lake Hylia. Then she remembered jumping off the cliff and landing in the water. Link!

She looked around herself frantically but he was nowhere to be found. Zelda got up despite how heavy her body felt and how cold she was. She managed to walk to the other end of the island before she spotted a red hat just next to the large tree.

With the last of her strength Zelda sat down next to Link and pulled him out of the water so that he lay against the tree. The arrow she tried to intercept was lodged into his left leg but the bleeding had stopped, most likely from the water. She ripped the hem of her dress off and dipped it into the water and then took another piece off and left it to dry next to her.

She looked at the arrow once more and winced. She knew that it had to come out.

With a push, she wrapped her fingers around the arrowhead and in one swift motion, pulled it out. Link let out a muffled scream and she suddenly started to shake in fear.

"I'm sorry, please, I'm sorry." She whispered as she grabbed the wet piece of her dress and pressed it to the wound, stopping the bit of blood that she forced out along with the arrow. When she was sure that the bleeding had stopped enough, she wiped away the dried blood and tossed the cloth aside. She then took the dryer piece and wrapped it around his leg.

With that, Zelda pulled herself towards Link and curled up next to him, hoping that he would be okay when they woke.

Two guards from Hyrule came to the Lon Lon Ranch the next day. Malon had heard that the war had ended with the Gerudo's destroying their own bridge and giving up like cowards, but she knew that was just one side of the conversation.

What she was about to hear next was by far the worst news she would ever hear.

"Yeah, just as the Gerudo Prince shot the bridge, he turned away and one of our archers shot him. 'Fell into the gorge, definitely dead. But then the Lady Zelda suddenly appeared and jumped in after the Sand Serpent!" Said one.

"Yeah, I heard about that, it's a shame too, she was the only heir. What's the King going to do?" Asked the other.

Malon dropped the bucket she had been holding and her mouth gaped. The two guards stared at her.

"They're dead?" She squeaked.

The two guards looked at one another. "Ah, you used to be friends with the Lady Zelda. We're sorry, but it is believed so. All of the waterways were searched but there was no trace of them."

Malon felt tears rolling down her face. "They're dead." She muttered.

"But I don't want her to be here!" Came a female voice that didn't sound much younger than her own.

Zelda forced her eyes to open but her body was still heavy and so she could only lie there. Wherever she was, it was warm and soft and she was fairly sure that she could hear the sound of falling water somewhere in the distance.

"Oh, she's waking up." An older male voice said.

Zelda turned to the voice and looked up at the Zora King. She had only seen him once before, when she was still very young

"Ruto go fetch something for her to eat." The King rushed his daughter out of the room. "Fine!" the girl huffed.

"One of my people happened to be swimming by when she noticed that both the Prince of Gerudo's and Princess of Hyrule were lying on the side of the river unconscious. She told me and brought you here. Don't worry, you are safe here." The King explained.

"Link!" she gasped, sitting upright far too quickly and feeling the world spin before her. The Zora King gently pushed her back into the bed.

"It's alright, he's fine. He's just over there." The King pointed across the room to another bed. She let out a sigh when she saw him laying there. _"He's okay." _She said to herself.

"The wound to his leg is deep but he should heal nicely, it's good that you cleaned it up before it got infected. You are a fine healer and I'm sure he'll thank you when he comes to." The King added. "Now you concentrate on getting some rest." He told her, pulling the sheets up over her.

Zelda could hear the King close the door behind him but her world was already darkening as she drifted off to sleep.

"You know, if it weren't for you, he would never be in this mess." The familiar female voice accused. Zelda opened her eyes and for a second forgot where she was. She turned to the voice as her memory came back.

Princess Ruto looked down at Zelda with accusing eyes.

Zelda tried to sit up but her body would not allow that much effort quite yet it seemed, so she lay there rather confused at the anger directed at her.

"You heard me; if it weren't for you he wouldn't have any of this trouble!" Ruto motioned towards Link who still lay in his bed, unmoved. "If he had married me, there would be peace and he wouldn't be lying there unconscious!"

She felt something stab at her heart.

"_Marriage?" _

"What do you mean; if he married you?" Zelda asked, trying to keep the hurt from appearing in her voice but the Zora picked it up anyway.

She smiled smugly. "That's right; he was supposed to marry me!" She folded her arms over her chest and looked down her nose at Zelda.

Zelda could feel the pain increasing, she could feel her eyes begin to sting as well, but she knew that she must not cry. Her thoughts drifted to all the things that happened, all the horrible things, the war especially and his wound. If only she had been able to stop the war, if only she could have stopped the arrow, if only she had moved faster! Now she was sure that tears were forming.

"_He never told me any of his problems; he never even told me that he was supposed to marry Princess Ruto."_ She said to herself.

Zelda looked down at the bed sheet on top of her. _"Wait."_

"He was _supposed to _marry you? Supposed to? Does that mean he isn't anymore?" She asked, feeling a smile return to her face as Ruto's fell.

"No, it's been cancelled; now please leave Ruto, I told you to let them rest." The Zora King reappeared at the door, Zelda had never been so happy to see someone in her entire life.

Ruto, though, was not as happy to see her father. She jumped and ran out the door. Zelda let out a sigh.

"I'm very sorry for that, she's just upset that something's been taken away from her." The King explained, sitting down on the bed next to Zelda's. She smiled at him. "Thank you."

He returned the smile and nodded. "I would like to tell you something of a story, one that I hope will keep you from having many doubts about Link and his intentions." Zelda focused her attention on him completely. Seeing this, the Zora King began his story.

"I've known Link since he was only a day old, his mother and I are old friends you see. But in all those years, I have never once seen him dedicate himself to something other than his raids. He never spoke to anyone unless spoken to, and never went out of his way to help someone. There were many times that I thought he would be lost like this forever.

"I think he noticed that he was different this way, so he made up a sort of politely-secretive facade to cover it up. I knew that he wanted to bridge the gap between him and others, but at the same time he was afraid and disliked that connection." The Zora King explained.

"But when Nobooru told him about the arranged marriage with my daughter, he rushed here and literally begged me to cancel it. He told me that he found something that changed his mind, and that he had suddenly began to dislike being alone." The King laughed.

"He said to me; "Uncle, I don't know how I did it before!" and started to laugh at himself." The King continued. "I knew that the marriage would not work, but it's always safer to have a backup plan for your kingdom. And I knew what, or rather who, changed his mind before hand through the rumours." The King laughed harder at the confused look Zelda gave him.

"What rumours?" She asked, suddenly both embarrassed and angry.

The King shook his head and his laugh turned into a small smile. "You need not worry about them, it is nothing against you."

He leaned closer to Zelda and lowered his voice a bit. "But I must tell you this; do not let him slip through your hands or else you may lose him."

Zelda recalled Nobooru telling her almost the exact same thing. _"Don't let him slip through your fingers like the sand he was raised in."_

"I won't." She replied, determination in her voice. "Thank you." She smiled.

The Zora King nodded and rose from the edge of the bed. "Get some rest, I'll send someone to bring some food up for you in a while." And with that the King was gone.

Zelda pulled herself up and swung her feet over the side of the bed. Her energy was coming back but her limbs were still heavy. She braced herself on the beds and made her way over to the bed next to Link.

She felt a tinge of guilt as she took his bag and pulled out his ocarina. Zelda touched his shoulder and with great caution, tried to wake him. It took a while for him to even budge, but that could have been because she was being far too gentle. Eventually though, he groaned and cracked his eyes open.

"Zelda?" He mumbled, still more than half asleep.

"Please tell me the songs." She demanded. He frowned.

"What? Songs?" he asked.

"The ones on your ocarina, how do I get to the Temple of Light?" she continued.

He shook his head and closed his eyes again. Zelda reached out and shook him awake, this time not nearly as gently. "Please!" she urged.

"No." He managed to groan, turning away from her.

"I promise I'll be fine, please trust me, please tell me the song." She pushed. "I need to do this!" She added.

Link opened his eyes again, with much effort and looked up at her for a moment. Finally he let out a sigh, realizing that she would continue to push him until she knew the song.

"If I tell it to you, you have to promise me that you'll be no longer than a day there." He said, trying to get his body to wake up.

Zelda nodded. "It will only take me a few hours."

Link let out another sigh and reached for the ocarina.

Zelda appeared in the Temple of Light much to the surprise of the single guard on duty there; she quickly walked over to him and hid the ocarina behind her.

"Tell my father that I wish to speak with him, _now_." She demanded.

Zelda still stood in the Temple of Light when her father ran inside, his arms open to her. "Zelda!" He cried, tears in his eyes. She returned his hug, despite the conflicts they had had, he was still her father.

"Father, I have to ask you something." She started.

"I can't believe you're alive! When you went over that cliff I thought I'd lost you forever, how did you survive?" He asked, ignoring her question. "And how did you get here?"

"Father, Link is still alive too, he's the reason I've come back like this." She said, ignoring her fathers' questions as well.

"What! That Sand Serpent is still alive!" He yelled.

"Stop calling him that! Father, I want to you to make a vow to never harm the Gerudo's ever again!" Zelda yelled over him.

Her father stared at her.

"If you don't, both Link and myself will leave and never come back." She revealed the ocarina. "I will use this ocarina to teleport us somewhere you have never been and will never find in a million years."

Her father swallowed.

"Dearest, can't you just come back to Hyrule by yourself? Everything will be as it was, I won't even attack the Gerudo's." He said, trying to hug his daughter again.

Zelda backed away and raised the ocarina to her face. "No."

"Stop!" Her father raised his hands into the air.

"If I agree to let you see this Sand- I mean, Link, he has to do one thing for me." Her father said, lowering his arms.

Zelda paused and nodded. "Maybe, what is the condition?"

"He has to promise to never raid Hyrule or toy with the guards." He said simply.

Zelda weighed this in her mind and she suppressed a smile.

She lowered the ocarina and offered her father one hand. He took the hand and shook it. "Deal." She said. "But why did you agree so easily?"

"I don't want to lose my daughter again." Her father replied, looking down at the ground. Zelda felt the pressure on her heart; she didn't realize that she had caused her father so much pain.

"I'm sorry." She said, wrapping her arms around him once more. He hugged her tightly.

"I know, now go tell him." Her father said, letting his daughter go and taking a few steps back.

"I'll be back, please wait for me." She said, lifting the ocarina to her lips and then playing the tune.

Zelda rushed through the Zora's Domain and straight to the medical room, Link was sitting upright in his bed and immediately looked up at her when she appeared at the door.

"Well?" he asked, but before he could get an answer, Zelda ran over to him and tackled him, her arms wrapped around his shoulders.

"He said he'd forgive everything if you stopped raiding Hyrule and bugging the guards!" She laughed. Link grinned.

"But you know that I don't raid Hyrule, you didn't tell your father that did you?" he sighed. "But I guess I can resist bothering the guards." He added with a laugh.

Ruto frowned from behind the door to the medical room, her father behind her with a smile on his face. "I guess your little storm only made their bond stronger my little daughter." He chuckled.

"Aw, and I put so much magic into those clouds!" Ruto complained.

Two mares ran out of the Lon Lon Ranch, followed by a third towards Lake Hylia, their laughter echoed through the grass as all three jumped the gates.

"Zelda?" Link asked.

"Yes?" She replied.

"Would you marry me?"

**(The River Dragon: I was sooooooooooooooo tempted to leave it at this, but I don't want to die an early death or have curses set on me lmao.)**

Zelda laughed. "Yes."

* * *

The River Dragon: Well, how did you like my ultra super special long last chapter? I hope you liked it! It took me a better part of a day to get the notes done up for it and then about two days to get all the story written up.

Thanks SilvaCat for sticking with me in the late hours of the night so that I could finish this, now that we're sleep deprived lets go crazy!! Well, I guess I'm the only one sleep deprived now lol, silvacat is too tuckered out to stay awake as I write this lol.

Thanks to all those who wrote to my old version of this story, I hope you liked the long long long awaited end to this!!1

Now REVIEW!! lol

The River Dragon is signing out!! JA BYE BYE! For now


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